


Kenny's Story

by Reader88



Series: The Utopian Knights [8]
Category: School of Rock (2003)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-05 23:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1835698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reader88/pseuds/Reader88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kenny Richmond is a Jamaican-American boy living in the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in inner-city Detroit, Michigan. Kenny dreams of becoming a singer and refuses to give up hope on his dream, even after his mother dies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My character of Kenny Richmond is based on child actor, Deon Richmond. He's best known for playing the role of Rudy Huxtable's best friend, Kenny, on "The Cosby Show".

Kenny Richmond loved music. Music was an important part of life in Detroit. The city was the birthplace of one of the most successful record labels in history: Motown Records. Motown specialized in a type of soul music it referred to with the trademark "The Motown Sound." Crafted with an ear towards pop appeal, the Motown Sound typically used tambourines to accent the back beat, prominent and often melodic electric bass-guitar lines, distinctive melodic and chord structures, and a call-and-response singing style that originated in gospel music. Pop production techniques such as the use of orchestral string sections, charted horn sections, and carefully arranged background vocals were also used. Complex arrangements and elaborate, melismatic vocal riffs were avoided. Motown producers believed steadfastly in the "KISS principle" (keep it simple, stupid). The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and so many other legendary artists had come out of Hitsville USA. Other musicians Kenny admired were James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and Aretha Franklin. These were soul's greatest practitioners. They were musical legends and one day Kenny was going to be just like them.

Kenneth Joshua Richmond was born on April 2, 1978, the one and only child of Janet Walker and Joshua Richmond. Janet and Joshua had immigrated to the USA from Jamaica for a better life. They had settled in Detroit, Michigan, in the Brewster-Douglass housing projects with two friends of theirs because they were teenagers. Janet and Joshua started dating when they were in high school but soon Janet's period stopped and she started getting sick. She went to the doctor who confirmed that she was pregnant. When Janet told Joshua he was worried that they weren't ready to be parents. But when Kenny was born nine months later, Joshua and Janet became dedicated guardians. However, when Joshua was at a video arcade, he accidentally spilled his Coke on  _Space Invaders_ while a black teen, who was part of a street gang called the Mickey Cobras, was trying to beat the high score. Joshua tried to apologize but then the gangster punched him in the face. Soon Joshua's and the gangster's fists were flying until the arcade owner broke up the fight. A few days later, Joshua was shot while walking home from work. Janet, at age seventeen, dropped out of high school to dedicate her life to raising her son and got a job at the car assembly plant.

Kenny was raised with plenty of love and care. Janet played a lot of music records in her Brewster-Douglass apartment. Besides soul, Janet also listened to music from Jamaica. From Harry Belafonte to Bob Marley, from calypso to reggae, Janet also adored music. She used to sing along with her records even though she wasn't a great singer. When Kenny was only two he said his first words. "Diana Ross!" he exclaimed as he pointed at The Supremes album that his mother dropped. Janet laughed and said, "Yes, honey, I dropped Diana Ross."

By the time Kenny was four he had learned to sing along to most of the records in the house: "My Girl" by The Temptations, "Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes, "I Feel Good" by James Brown, "ABC" by The Jackson 5. Kenny loved soul. Kenny also sang along to reggae and calypso songs, such as "Three Little Birds" and "One Love" by Bob Marley and "Jump in the Line" and "The Banana Boat Song" by Harry Belafonte. Janet admired her son's musical abilities and encouraged him to cultivate his talents.

When Kenny entered kindergarten he took music lessons with a teacher who taught him how to sing a scale and how to breathe properly. Kenny also entered the Tiny Tots' Talent Nite when he was only five years old. He and his mother agreed that he should wear a dress shirt, black pants and sing his favorite Motown songs. Kenny sang "Let’s Get Serious" and "Who’s Lovin’ You." When he sang the last notes of "Who's Lovin' You" he waited for a reaction and was greeted with a thunderous applause. People were standing and cheering and his teachers were crying. Kenny didn't realize how talented he was. Now he was 100% sure that he was going to dedicate the rest of his life to music!


	2. Chapter 2

Times were tough in Detroit. Michigan's unemployment rate rose to the highest in the country in 1980. Even though Janet and Kenny went to St. Paul AME Church and prayed when they could, life didn't get easier. Janet was laid off from her job at the assembly plant and tried to find other work. Janet signed up for welfare while she searched for a job but she couldn't find one. After several months of being laid off Janet received a pink slip that said she was fired.

Janet grumbled, "Great. Just what a single black woman needs."

Janet was unable to find another job as most jobs only hired black women if there weren't any men applying for the job. Janet worked odd jobs by scrubbing floors and washing windows in stores across the ghetto until the temp agency found her a job. Janet might me able to get a job cleaning office buildings at night or painting houses during the day. No matter how hard Janet worked she just wasn't able to make enough money to scrape together a decent style of living.

"Mama, when am I gonna get new shoes? These Converse All-Stars are barely staying together with duct tape," asked Kenny.

Janet said, "It will be awhile until I can get enough money to buy new clothes at The Salvation Army. Come on, baby, time for breakfast."

Kenny quickly brushed his teeth with baking soda and then went to the kitchen. Janet looked through the cupboards but could only find a little oatmeal. She cooked it up and told Kenny to eat up. There wasn't any other food in the house which meant that Kenny went to school again without lunch.

Kenny never complained about their hardships and just kept on honing his musical abilities. He entered talent shows at Spain Elementary and won a few. Kenny was determined to cultivate his talent to the greatest degree to become a musical success. Kenny thought, "One day I'll be a musical star. Then Mommy and I will live in a fancy house and never have any worries again." Janet saw Kenny in a few of his talent shows but she was too busy working to see him as often as she wanted.

One day when Kenny was in bed he overheard his mom talking to their neighbor, Mrs. Watson. Janet exclaimed, "What am I going to do? There's no work anywhere in Detroit or even the entire state. Nowadays, when Kenny earns money from singing on street corners, he brings in food stamps. He said, 'Mama, food stamps are just like money.' So many people in the ghetto are using food stamps in place of real money that even Kenny thinks it's a decent replacement for genuine US currency. Whenever he hugs and kisses me I find myself trying to breathe out of my mouth because his breath smells so bad. It's those cavities he has. I can't afford to buy proper toothpaste and I definitely can't afford to take him to a dentist to get his teeth checked. He's so skinny and I feel so frustrated because I can't feed my own child. What's a black woman supposed to do?"

As Kenny was listening he was thinking,  _Times are tough but they can't get any worse._ But they did.


	3. Chapter 3

Kenny came home from school one day and found his mother crying silently in the living room. He went over and asked, "Mama, what's wrong?"

Janet looked her son in the eyes and flatly said, "I have cancer, Kenny. Heart cancer."

Kenny asked. "What's cancer?"

Janet explained, "It's a very serious disease. There's no cure for it but my doctor says I can treat it with chemotherapy. Don't worry, Kenny. I'll be fine."

Janet started taking chemotherapy but it didn't seem to do any good. Everyday she was getting weaker and weaker. Kenny distracted himself with music. He had taken an interest in hip-hop and rap after seeing some street dancers "break it down" on the street corners of the ghetto. Kenny was a natural dancer. If he saw someone do a dance move he could copy it no problem. Kenny made some extra money singing, rapping, and breakdancing on street corners. He always gave the money to his mother who let him keep half.

However, Janet's condition was worsening. Her beautiful braids fell out and she started to wear a bandanna. She could barely cook and clean their tiny apartment. Janet became so sick and weak that she was admitted to the hospital. Janet's mom had died a few years ago so she didn't have any other living relatives. Kenny was sent to a group home for boys run by a man named Dave Little. Mr. Little hated children but don't ask how he got the job. With the high unemployment rate people were willing to work any job they could find.

Kenny visited his mom everyday. But she was slipping away. One day while Kenny was visiting his mom she held his hand and said, "Listen, Kenny. I'm not long for this world. So I want you to listen carefully." Kenny nodded to show that he was listening. Janet said, "First, don't let anybody or nothin' tell you can't do something. When you have a dream you have to keep it locked in your heart. Don't let anyone take it away from you. Then work hard to make it a reality. Also remember that no matter how bad things look, when one door closes another one opens. Understand?"

Kenny said, "Yeah, Mama." Kenny held on to his mother's hand until it went cold and soon the monitor attached next to her bed flat lined. Kenny just cried silently until a nurse came in and led him outside.


	4. Chapter 4

Kenny moved into the group home permanently. However, he was only seven years old and had a lot to learn. A huge boy named Billy Burns was the head honcho. "Now listen closely, Kenny. I'm the head honcho here. When I say, 'Jump,' you say, 'How high?' Understand?" Kenny nodded.

But the most dangerous person to cross was Mr. Little. He hated kids and always kept a strap on hand to beat unruly boys. Unfortunately, Kenny experienced the strap firsthand plenty of times. Once he spilled a pitcher of water and Mr. Little immediately started beating him.

"Listen up, you worthless piece of shit. You break my laws then you're gonna get it. Understand?"

Kenny sobbed, "Yes, Mr. Little, I understand."

Another time he got in trouble for breaking a window at school. Mr. Little was asked to pay for the damages. Mr. Little cut a switch off a tree and started beating Kenny again. "Thanks a lot, you son of a bitch! I've got to hand over my hard earned money to replace a window at the school! Don't expect me to fork over money for your lunch! Maybe after a few days of going hungry you'll learn some sense!" exclaimed Mr. Little between each beating.

Kenny was sent out to several foster families. None of them were very nice. Some of them didn't use a belt or switch and just used their hands or arms to issue out beatings. Kenny figured that when you get older adults think you're too old for mild spanks on the butt and decide to give you beatings that can literally knock you out. Kenny knew the group home was paying each of these foster families to take care of him. Considering the high unemployment rate people were desperate for money and would try to get it any way they knew how. Plenty of other young boys were also sent to several foster families. But they were all sent back and judging by the bruises they collected none of the families were very nice.

In the summer of 1986, shortly after Kenny turned eight years old, Mr. Little pulled him out of the breakfast line and said, "Pack your stuff, Kenny. A family called the Caldwells wants to take you in. So be grateful, you little piece of shit."

Kenny went upstairs and packed his things in a garbage bag since he didn't have a suitcase. Most of the boys in the group home kept their belongings in a garbage bag. Kenny thought,  _Well, Mama, here we go again._

The Caldwells seemed nice enough and they put Kenny in the upstairs bedroom. When he went to bed he suddenly woke up when it felt like someone had shoved a piece of wood up his nose. He woke up and saw George Caldwell with a pencil covered in a snot. "Wow, I've never gotten the pencil up that far before!"

Kenny started to blow his nose since it felt like someone had shoved a ton of rubber up it. George continued by stating, "Most of the street urchins we take in are pretty square but you seem cool, Kenny. I know we'll have plenty of fun together."

George didn't get a chance to say another word because Kenny punched him in the nose. Soon they were putting up their dukes and wrestling on the floor. George was two years older than eight-year-old Kenny but Kenny didn't care. He wasn't about to let George shove a pencil up his nose and call him a street urchin. Mr. Caldwell and Mrs. Caldwell soon came in to see what all the ruckus was about.

Mrs. Caldwell exclaimed, "What is going on here?!"

George said, "Mommy, I just came in to see if he was having any nightmares and needed to use the washroom. He's got 'bed-wetter' written all over him!"

Mrs. Caldwell said to Kenny, "You ungrateful little brute! We took you in and fed you and this is how you repay us?"

Mr. Caldwell grabbed Kenny by the ear and said, "Come on, boy, you're sleeping in the basement. First thing tomorrow I'm contacting that group home and having you sent back. Kids today, don't know what's wrong with them."

Kenny was taken down to the basement and Mrs. Caldwell gave him his garbage bag full of his things. They directed him to the bottom of the stairs and gave him a blanket. They went upstairs, closed the door, locked it with a click and turned off the lights so that Kenny was standing in darkness. Kenny took out a flashlight he had in his bag and turned it on. Things always look scarier in the dark. Kenny saw strange shapes and heard strange sounds. He saw rats and spiders. If the Caldwells thought he was going to sleep on a cold, hard floor with rats, spiders, ghosts, and who knows what else they must be crazy. Kenny looked around and found a small window leading to the outside. He broke it open with a small play chair, took his bag, slipped his skinny body through the window, ran down the street, and never looked back.


	5. Chapter 5

Kenny soon stopped running near an abandoned housing apartment scheduled for demolition in a few days. Kenny was fed up with all these foster families. They could care less about kids and only seemed happy when causing kids misery. Kenny pondered for a while. Going to the group home was out. Mr. Little hated kids and would surely give Kenny the beating of his life once he found out what happened at the Caldwells. Kenny went behind a dumpster and fell asleep.

He woke up the next morning and found a doughnut and some French fries in a garbage can. It helped stop the growling in his stomach a bit. Kenny then made a decision. He was going to run away.

Kenny went down to the train yard and sneaked aboard a train. Kenny remembered learning in school that a lot of kids during the Great Depression rode the rails. They were forced to beg, steal, and work odd jobs to earn enough money to get something to eat. Kenny thought,  _Well, not much has changed since the Great Depression._ Kenny fell asleep on the train as it was rolling down the tracks. About eight hours later the train stopped. Someone yelled, "Chicago! Last stop, Chicago!" Kenny thought,  _Chicago. I've never been here before but it's a city larger than Detroit._ Kenny and some other homeless guys got off the train. They sneaked past the security guards and went into the city. Kenny wondered what he would do to feed and clothe himself. Then he knew.

He went on a street corner and found someone listening to music from a boombox. Kenny asked, "Can I dance along?"

A girl said, "Sure, kid. If you have talent."

Kenny said, "I got so much talent that I could give some away and still have more that I could use."

Kenny started breakdancing to some LL Cool J songs. Soon a lot of people were watching and Kenny earned some cash. Kenny did the same routine each day: he sang to a soul or hip-hop song, breakdanced, or would just stand and rap. Kenny made some pennies but it wasn't enough to keep him clothed.

One day, about a month after he had been living in Chicago, Kenny went into a Salvation Army store in the South Side. He couldn't afford any of the items even though they were dirt cheap. So Kenny took off his Converse All-Stars and put on a new pair. He tried to walk out of the store when the clerk yelled, "Stop, thief!" Kenny ran out the door and didn't look back. Kenny would have kept on running if a Hispanic man didn't jump out of an alley and scoop him up in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

The Hispanic man took Ricky back to The Salvation Army. Ricky asked the clerk, "What'd he take?"

The clerk explained, "He tried to walk out of this store with a new pair of shoes."

The Hispanic man looked at Kenny and asked, "Can you show me where you left your old shoes?"

Kenny showed him the shelf and the Hispanic man saw that the Converses were so worn out that Kenny had replaced the soles with cardboard. The Hispanic man asked the clerk, "How much for the shoes?"

The clerk said, "Twenty bucks." The Hispanic man paid the amount and led Kenny out of the store.

The Hispanic man asked, "What's your name, kid?"

Kenny replied, "Kenny. Kenny Richmond."

The Hispanic man said, "My name is Ricky. Ricky Rodriguez. You got any family?"

Kenny said, "No."

Ricky said, "We'll fix that."

Kenny showed Ricky where his garbage bag of stuff was hidden. Ricky then drove Kenny to McDonald's in his Pontiac where he purchased a Happy Meal for Kenny and a Big Mac for himself. Kenny started wolfing down the food and Ricky said, "Slow down, Kenny, or you'll get yourself sick."

Kenny asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Ricky replied, "The Unconditional Orphanage. We have plenty of kids."

After they finished eating Ricky drove Kenny to the orphanage while Kenny fell asleep in the back. Kenny dreamed that he was sitting on a beach in Jamaica. The sun was blazing and the sand felt like a warm bed. Kenny saw the ocean flowing back and forth. He heard Bob Marley singing "Three Little Birds":

" _Don't worry about a thing,_  
_'Cause every little thing gonna be all right._  
_Singin': "Don't worry about a thing,_  
_'Cause every little thing gonna be all right! "_

 _Rise up this mornin',_  
_Smile with the risin' sun,_  
_Three little birds_  
_Each by my doorstep_  
_Singin' sweet songs_  
_Of melodies pure and true,_  
_Sayin', ('This is my message to you-ou-ou: ')_

 _Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing,_  
_'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."_  
_Singin': "Don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing,_  
_'Cause every little thing gonna be all right! "_

Then Kenny heard someone saying, "Kenny, wake up. Wake up, Kenny."

It was a female's voice but it wasn't his mom. He decided to keep his eyes closed until he figured out what was going on.

The woman asked, "Ricky, why is this boy as skinny as a pole?"

Ricky replied, "I don't know, Alicia. If he rubs his legs together he could start a fire. No telling what he's been through."

Alicia shook Kenny harder and he said, "Huh?"

Alicia said, "Nice to see you're awake, young man. Come on, it's time for breakfast."

Kenny saw that he was on a soft bed and that someone had taken off his clothes and left him in his boxers. Kenny washed up in the boys' bathroom, put on some new clothes that were left out for him, and went down to breakfast. There were several cereal boxes, a bowl of fruit, toast, bacon, and sausages. Kenny had never seen such a huge breakfast array. He poured a bowl of Trix cereal, put some sausages and bacon on toast and started wolfing everything down.

Ricky laughed and said, "I thought I told you to eat slowly or else you'd get sick." Kenny tried to eat slowly but he had never had so much to eat before. The high unemployment rate made it hard for his mom to put food on the table and the group home in Detroit couldn't get enough food to keep the boys fed.

Kenny soon got settled into his new home. The other adults who lived there were Big Mama, Kimberly Norris, and Nick Cannon. They all seemed nice enough and absolutely adored children. They made sure Kenny got new clothes that fit, enough food so that he would never go hungry again, and took him to a dentist who filled in his cavities. Kenny soon met other musically talented kids in the orphanage. They were led by a boy named Tevin Campbell. Kenny revealed that he had been raised in Detroit.

"If you come to Detroit and say you hate soul music you better catch the next train out of town!" exclaimed Kenny. Kenny sang some classic Motown songs and showed off his James Brown dance moves and his breakdance moves.

Tevin asked Kenny, "How'd you like to join this band? If we work hard we might make it all the way to the top!"

Kenny happily said, "Yeah!" That was the sound of one door closing and another one opening.


End file.
